Mainspring-winding device for watches.



A. F. ROBBINS. MAINSPRING WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. I914.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

6 6 u I 52 Q) 5) 7 5 "w I i2 22 Q a? /d if COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH COuI/ASHINOTON D-C.

ALBERT F. ROBBINS, OF WALTI-IAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

'MAINsPRIN WINDI'NG DEVICE FOR WATCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedNgnn 3Q), 1915;

Application fi led October a, 1914. s riaino. 864,740.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. RoBBrNs, acitizen ofthe United States, residing at Waltham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in. Mainspringll inding Devices forl Vatches and the like, of which the followingis a specification. I

lhis invention relates to improvements in mainspring winding devices for watches and the like, the object of the invention being to provide an inexpensive, simple and durable device adapted to wind substantially all sizes of watchsprings and to accomplish the same with the least; amount of work and with few operations.

The invention consistsin the combination and arrangement of parts whereby the above objectsand certain other objects, which may bor, with the operation of winding the spring shown completed and said spring ejected from the barrel. larged detail elevation of the spr ng e ect ing disk. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail viewof oneofthe arbors. Fig.6 is a perspective view of a inamsprmg of a watch.

L ke numerals refer to like parts throughp out the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 6 is a stationary support which may be of any suitable design or construction and upon which is mounted a member 7. A stationary member 8, preferably constituting a spring barrel,is mounted on the support 6, said member Shaving a sleeve or cylindrical portion 9 extending through said member 7 and fastened therein by any suitable means, in the presentin stance it beingforced or pressed into a hole 10 formed in said member 7.. j

The barrel 8 is cylindrical in form and open at one end, said barrel having a notch or opening 11 in its periphery. An arbor 12 is arranged to rotate relatively to said stationary member, said arbor having a projection, preferably a pin 13, arranged adjacent one end thereof which end projects into the barrel 8. The end 1d of a main spring 15,

Fig. 4 is an enof the usual and well known construction,

which is provided with a small hole =l6,"is

inserted through the notch 11 in'the periphery of the barrel and hooked over the pin 18 after which sald' arbor is rotated by suitable means to wind said spring about the projecting endthereof. The opposite end of said spring is provided with a transverse bar 17 which, as said spring is Wound aboutits arbor, engagesthe edges of the notch 11 and prevents said end from being drawn into the barrel. ,After said spring has been wound about said arbor the regular spring barrel 18 of a watch,.as shown in Fig. 3, is slippedover the rim of the barrel 8 with the casing 19 ofsaid barrel overlapping said rim after which the spring 15 is ejected fromthe sta tionary member into the barrel 18. To accomplish this an ejector20 has been provided'which preferably consists of a disk 21 arrangedadjacent said stationary member,

its normal position being preferably at the inner end of the barrel 8 against said inner end, providing a. space between the outer face 22 of said disk and the outer end 23 of said barrel substantially equal in width to the width of the spring whichis tobe wound therein. a

I The disk .20 is provided with a sleeve 24 "which. extends longitudinally within the sleeve 9. ,and is permitted to reciprocate in said sleeve, while within the sleeve 2-1 the .arbor 12 is preferably journaled to rotate.

The innerend ofth'e sleeve2i is provided with an annular groove 25 within which an expansible ring 26 is inserted, said ring being at a distance from the end of the sleeve 9 suflicient to permit the sleeve 2-1 to reciprocate in said sleeve 9 the length of the barrel 8, or in other words permit the disk 20 to be moved lengthwise of said barrel until the outer face 22 of said disk isbroughtinto alinement with the outer end23 of the barrel 8.

By the construction just described it will be evident that said disk may be permitted to move relatively to thestationary member .8-and the arbor 12, while at the same time said arbor is permitted to rotate insaid sleeve. By moving the disk 21 toward the end 23 of the barrel 8, after the barrel 18 has been placed over the endv thereof, the

spring, which has previously been wound upon the arbor 12, will be ejected fromthe barrel8 into the barrel 18, the endof the transverse bar, 17 entering a, hole-27 in said.

barrel thus freeing said spring from said which ejects the spring from the stationary member into the barrel 18 is instrumental in disconnecting'the end 14' of said spring from"'sai d pin 13; Tohccomplish this feature of the operation the arbor 12 is per mitted to reciprocate a limite'darn'ount within the sleeve"24,"said 'arborhaving an annular shoulder' 28 formed thereon which engages an annular "shoulder 29 within the sleeve24 which limitsthemove'ment of said arbor, or in other 'words, limits the projec- ,tion'of said arbor beyond'the face of the disk 21.v Tolimit the movement of the :11" bor'12'in the opposite directionsaid arbor is'provided with an annular recess or groove 30. An expansible ring 31"substantially narrower than said groove is arrangedin said groove and adapted to grip said disk within the sleeve thereof, permitting said 'arborto be moved longitudinally in said sleeve toward 'the "left (Figs. 2 and 3) until I theside of said groove engages said ring.

The'spring barrel 18 is provided with an axial projection or hub 32 upon the interior thereofwhich'engages the end 33' of themborlQy-whzn said barrel 18 is placed over theend of the barrel. 8, and causes said arbor to recede into thesleeve .of the disk :21

suflicient to disconnect the end '14 of said spring from the pin 13, as willbe seen'in Fig. 3, with the result that after saidspring has been ejected'from the barrel 8 and the transverse bar 17 disconnected from the notch in theperipheryof said stationary member 8,'said' spring will-be entirely disengagedfrom s'aid stationary member and the inner casing 18 and the spring may be readily withdrawn without interference.

A variety of means may be employed for operating the arbor to wind the spring. The preferred method however is to provide a shaft 34slidably and rotatably mounted in the support 6 to which a rotary motion may be imparted by a crank 40 secured to the outer end of said shaft, said shaft having a recess '35 adapted to receive the "end 36 of the arbor 12.' Apin 37"is arg slot being the shorter of a pair of slots disposed indifferent ax1al planes extending ranged transversely of said recessed endand as saidshaft is moved toward the arbor-12 said pin is adapted to enter a slot 38, said longitudinally of said arbor. Thepin 37 is adapted to move to the inner end of the slot F 38 and permits the- "operator of the machine to hold the end 33 of said arbor and the pin 13 in the right relation to the notch 11 in the barrel or stationary member 8 during'the winding of said spring. After the wmdmg of said spring has been completed the shaft 34: is withdrawn from the end of said arbor and turned for a portion of a rotation sufficient to aline the pin 37 with the long slot 39 of said pair of slots.

It will be noted by referring to Fig. 3 that the long slot 39 is ofsucha length that clearance is at all times "provided between the pin 37 and the inner end of said "slot permitting the" end 41 of the shaft 34:, adjacent said pin 37, to engage theend of the sleeve 241 and reciprocate said'sleeve with out said-pin engaging the endof the long slot '39. It is whilethe pin 37- isin said slot and in' the relation just described and previous to thelateral movement of'the sleeve 2-1 by'the shaft 34' that the barrel 18 is placed over the'barrel- 8 and the boss or projection '32 engages the end ofthe arbor sleeve 34:, which movement, as hereinbefore stated,'is"perm1tted by thereason of the length of the slot' 39.

To render the device more useful and practical the member 7, which supports the stationary member 8, isrotatably, mounted upon a stud '42 secured to the stationary member 6, and distributed about theface of said member'7, and at anequaPdistance :from the 'axisthereof are a'plurality of stationary members or barrels similar'to these being adapted to accommodate springs of varlous sizes Without necessitating the removal of the barrel and replacement by one of a different size. The axes {of'the spindles for said barrels a Z) 0' d and "e are adapted to be moved into alinement with the shaft34z, which is common to all of said members, and which may be reciprocated to engage each of said 'arbors when the same have-been movedinto alinement with said shaft.

It will-be evident by the constructionset forth that any number-of sets constituting or including the stationarybarrel, arbor and ejector maybeprovided, according to the range of work which the operator desires' to perform, without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

=Having thus described my invention What I claim and desire by Letters Patent to'se-- cure is: r

l. A mainspring winder having, in combinationya stationary member, a disk arranged adjacentto' said stationary-member, and movable relatively thereto, an arbor arranged to'jro'tate and reciprocate relatively to said disk, said" arbor having'an annular groove formed therein, an" expansible ring to move said arbor longitudinally in the F arranged in and substantially narrower than said groove adapted to engage a portion of said disk and permit a longitudinal movement of said arbor relativelyto said disk, a projection on said arbor adapted to engage one end of a spring, means adapted to rotate said arbor to wind said spring, means on said stationary member adapted to hold the opposite end of said spring, means adapted to move said arbor longitudinally to disconnect said projection from said spring, and means adapted to move said disk to disengage said spring from said stationary member.

2. A mainspring winder having, in combination, a stationary member, a disk arranged adjacent to said stationary member and movable relatively thereto, an arbor arranged to rotate and reciprocate in said disk, said arbor having an annular groove formed therein, an expansible ring arranged within and substantially narrower than said grooveadapted to grip said disk and permit a limited longitudinal movement of said arbor therein, a projection on said arbor adapted to engage one end of said spring, means for rotating said arbor to Wind said spring, means on said stationary member adapted to hold the opposite end of said spring after said spring has been wound, and means adapted to move said disk to disengage said spring from said stationary member.

3. A mainspring winder having, in combination, astationary member, a disk arranged adjacent to said stationary member and movable relatively thereto, an arbor arranged to rotate and reciprocate in said disk, a shoulder formed on said arbor, a shoulder in said disk adapted to be engaged by the shoulder on said arbor to limit the movement of said arbor in one direction, said arbor having an annular groove formed therein, an expansible ring arranged in and substantially narrower than said groove adapted to grip said disk and permit a limited longitudinal movement of said arbor away fromsaid shoulder, a projection on said arbor adapted to engage one end of a spring, means for rotating said arbor to wind said spring, means onsaid stationary member adapted to hold the opposite end of said spring after said spring has been wound, and means adapted to move said disk relatively to said stationary member to disengage said spring therefrom.

4. A mainspring winder having, in combination, a spring barrel provided with a spring from said barrel, and means to move said arbor longitudinally to detach said spring from said pin.

5. A mainspring winder having, in combination, a stationary spring barrel, a disk normally arranged at one end of said barrel and having a sleeve extending through said barrel adapted to reciprocate therein, an arbor mounted to rotate and reciprocate in said sleeve, one end of said arbor adapted to project into said barrel beyond the face of saiddisk, means adapted to limit the projection of said arbor beyond the face of said disk, a projection on said arbor adapted to engage one end of a spring, said arbor having at its opposite end a pair of slots disposed in different axial planes, one of said slots being longer than the other, a

rotary shaft provided with a recess at one end adapted to receive the slotted end of said arbor, and a pin arranged transversely of said recessed end adapted to engage said short slot to position and rotate said arbor and wind a spring thereabout,'said pin,

while engaging said long slot, being adapted to permit said arbor to be moved longitudinally relatively to said disk to disconnect the end of said spring from said arbor.

6. The combination ofa stationary spring barrel provided with a notch in its periphery adapted to hold oneend of a spring, an arbor arranged to rotate and reciprocate longitudinally within said barrel, a pin on said arbor adaptedto engage the other end of said spring, means adapted to rotate said arbor to wind said spring thereabout, a

my hand in presence of-twosubscribing witnesses.

ALBERT F. ROBBINS. Witnesses:

CHARLES S. GoonING, SYDNEY E. TAFT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

